Ulysses The True Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

Homer wrote a major, ancient epic poem called The Odyssey. In The Odyssey, Ulysses has been gone for 10 years since defeating Troy, and he is desperately trying to get home to his beloved wife, Penelope, son, Telemachus, and kingdom in Ithaca. While Ulysses goes through many tribulations throughout his journey, his wife stays loyal to him turning down many tyrants seeking her hand in marriage. Many characters throughout the story of Ulysses long journey home stand out as heroes in their own way, but the true hero in this epic was Ulysses. Ulysses has many admirable traits that can be seen throughout the entire story. Ulysses was best known for his wisdom. He was a strong man, but he was more cunning than he was physically strong. Ulysses not having as much physical strength as wisdom did not prove much of an issue throughout the epic. He was a self-made and self-assured man who loved his family and his people. He shows leadership, strength, courage, and power on his journey to make it back

His management over his crew was something that needed more direction and control. He seemed to be slow to catch on to this. After the victory over the Cicones, Ulysses wisely wants to take the plunder and depart quickly, but His men prefered to stay, leading to a defeat at the hands of reinforcements. When Aeolus grants the Greeks fair winds to Ithaca, Odysseus falls asleep within sight of home, empowering his suspicious, unruly crew to open the bag of ill winds and let loose a windstorm that blows them off course. Again, on the island of the Sungod Helios, Ulysses' men disobey strict orders and feast on the sacred cattle when he goes inland to pray and falls asleep. The woes that Ulysses faced made his growth as a character more realistic and more credible because it was not simple or absolute. Although his men were not disciplined well and under control he did not make his men do anything he would not